Monday, August 29, 2016

Dunce Cap Award: Colin Kaepernick

Politics and sports should never mix, but they often do.

The latest example involves San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has chosen to literally sit out the playing of the Star Spangled Banner prior to games. Why? Give a read to what Kaepernick himself has to say:
====================="I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
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The above was taken from www.nfl.com from an interview Kaepernick gave to NFL Media after Friday's game. The team's stance? This is also from the same www.nfl.com article:
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"The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pre-game ceremony. It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose and participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem."

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I get that Kaepernick supports Black Lives Matter, but he's already taken a great deal of backlash from other players and coaches around the league, some of whom, including former teammate Alex Boone, now with Minnesota, and Carolina coach Ron Rivera, have family members who are or have served in the military. Given that Kaepernick has been the subject of rumors having him either being traded or released in recent years, given that the quality of his play has regressed, it seems as though he's taking a stand that may just be his final ticket out of San Francisco.

Politics and sports should never mix, but in this case, it's a bone-headed play that nets Kaepernick a Dunce Cap award.